Bartoli's Hideout - Secret Passageway to Ballroom

After obtaining the Silver Dragon secret and trimming Bartoli's payroll a bit, as shown in the last section, you're now in a sparsely furnished room with floral wallpaper and a fireplace.

SHORTCUT: You can take a substantial shortcut here, which will bring you nearly to the end of the level. If you do, you'll miss a secret and quite a few pickups. So use it at your discretion. Details are on a separate page.

Continuing along the normal route, locate the movable block at the back of the fireplace. Push it twice.

Then climb into the passageway above.

Kill the rat (21) lurking there (avoid being bitten for the "Plague" achievement/trophy) and continue forward.

At the end of the passage is a slope with blades at both ends, as well as a fire trap and a pool of water below.

You may be able to avoid these traps altogether. Begin by stepping back a little from the top of the slope. Then pivot slightly to the right and take a standing jump over the first blade...

...avoiding the slope completely and landing in the pool. Swim underneath the flame traps...

...and surface in front of the last flame jet. (Ignore the trapdoor on the bottom of the pool for now. You'll return later.)

Save the game, just in case the next step doesn't work. Pull up in the middle of the ledge...

...and run through the fire. I don't know if this is a bug, or if Lara's wetness protects her, but as long as you move quickly through middle of the flame, she should be fine. If you try and run through on either side, Lara always seems to catch fire. Also, if you try and go back through the flame toward the pool, Lara catches fire.

Lara is safe in the corner beyond the flames, but there are enemies in the next room so don't rush forward. (Continue with the next section.)

- OR -

If this glitch doesn't work for you, try navigating the trap as the designers probably intended: Walk to the top of the slope. Hop back once. Take a standing jump over the first blade to land on the slope.

Then jump again to clear the second blade.

Walk carefully toward the first flame jet. The flames are on a timer. When you step on the wooden tile, they go out. But once Lara steps off the wood, the flames relight after a few seconds. To get through quickly, start by positioning Lara on the edge of the wooden tile farthest from the flames.

Press Look and check your angle. Make sure Lara is facing straight ahead along the middle of the gas jets. Save the game if you like.

Now take a quick series of standing jumps (i.e., press and immediately release Jump + Forward together to hop forward without running).

If you take one quick forward hop after another, you should be able to clear the flames before they reignite. If Lara catches fire, either reload or drop into the water, swim back to the beginning, and try again.

Lara is safe in the corner beyond the flames, but there are enemies in the next room so don't rush forward.

[Previous | Next | Bartoli's Hideout Walkthrough]